Scraper cap



May 21, 1963 M. o. WElBY ETAL SCRAPER CAP Filed Aug. 28, 1961 w y w w. v0 u BY 609x04 4. Parse 3,096,067 SRAPER CA? Maxwell 0. Weihy, La Crosse, Wis, and Harold A. Petseh, Minneapolis, Minn, assignors to The Pyroil Company, Inc, La Crosse, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Aug. 28, 1361, Ser. No. 134,269 iairns. (Ci. *236) This invention relates to scraper caps and more particularly to caps or covers for containers such as spray cans.

A number of scraper caps have been previously proposed for the purpose of providing a closure for a container and also for facilitating the removal of ice or other material from a windshield or the like. These prior devices have a number of short-comings. Many are not stackable. Thus, when the containers are shipped or stored, a substantial amount of space is wasted. Other prior scraper caps require a substantial amount of resin in addition to that required for the cap alone thereby substantially increasing production costs. A still further disadvantage of some of the prior art scraper caps is that while they are suitable for removal of dirt or soil, they are totally unsuited for the removal of a relatively hard material such as ice.

In view of the short-comings of the prior art, it is thus an important object of the present invention to provide an improved scraper cap formed from a resinous material which is economical to manufacture reliable in operation and rugged in construction.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide an improved scraper cap which will reliably remove a relatively hard material, such as ice, without rapid wear of the scraping members.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an improved scraper cap adapted to serve as a closure for a spray can or other container wherein the ice removal members or teeth will not interfere with the stacking of the containers during shipment and storage.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide an improved scraper cap wherein relatively small amount of additional resin is required to provide the scraper members.

These and other more detailed and specific objects will be disclosed in the course of the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a plan view of one form of the scraper cap according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view showing the scraper cap and in position over the top of a spray can and showing another such can stacked on the first for shipment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a scraper cap according to another form of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a scraper cap according to another form of the present invention.

Briefly stated, the present invention provides a scraper cap formed from a resinous plastic material including side walls and a relatively fiat top wall. The cap is open at the bottom end thereof and this end is adapted to be secured to a container. The top wall includes a plurality of scraper members which extend upwardly therefrom. The scraper members are spaced apart, each being elevated at one end and having an inclined upper surface extending from said raised end to the opposite end thereof. The raised end is positioned closer to the peripheral edge of the cap than the other end. Each of the scraper members is preferably relatively long and narrow and generally semi-circular in cross section.

According to one preferred form of the invention, the scraper members are all parallel to each other and are positioned in a pair of spaced-apart rows with each of the members of one row being staggered with respect to the members in the other row.

According to another form of the invention, the scraper members are positioned radially and spaced-apart circumferentially on the upper surface of the cap with the elevated ends nearest the peripheral edge of the cap.

In still another form of the invention, the scraper members comprise radially positioned circumferentially spaced apart raised letters which convey information and also provide the requisite scraping characteristics.

According to the present invention, there is provided a scraper cap which serves both as a protective cover for a container and also as means to prepare a surface for the application of a material carried Within the container. The scraper cap is particularly well suited for providing a plurality of grooves in the ice covering windshield prior to the application of an antifreezing solution. When the antifreezing solution is applied, it is able to flow into these grooves, spread under the ice and thereby release it from the surface of the windshield in substantially less time than required when the scraping operation is omitted.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 a scraper cap 10 according to one form of the present invention. The cap ltl is hollow and is generally cup-shaped in configuration. It includes relatively thin frustoconical side walls 12 and a flat top wall 14. At the lower end, the cap is open and includes a cylindrical extension 16 adapted to be secured to a container such as an aerosol can 18. In the form of the invention illustrated, the cap 10 is secured frictionally to the container 18 but it will be understood that suitable threads can be molded in the extension 16 to permit the cap to be screw threaded onto the upper end of the container 18 if desired. The cap, since it is cup-shaped, protects the entire end of the container while it is being stored, provides an attractive appearance for the can and prevents leakage of material from within the can. The flat upper surface 14, moreover, provides a secure supporting base for the scraper members described hereinbelow, all with a minimum amount of resin being required.

Integral with the upper surface 14 of the cap, there are provided a plurality of scraping members or teeth 2%. These teeth are divided into two parallel rows as best seen in FIG. 1. Each of the teeth 29 is generally hemispherical in cross section and each has a raised or elevated end designated 26 and a downwardly inclined upper surface designated 28. As best shown in FIG. 1, the teeth of each row are out of alignment or staggered with respect to the teeth of the other row. Each tooth 20 has a substantially vertical end wall adjacent the raised end thereof and a relatively sharp intersection between the end wall and the upper surface of 28.

As best shown in FIG. 4, the bottom chime 32 of the can 18 fits nicely around the edge of the upper end of the cap 10 with the teeth 25 recessed in the raised bottom 34 of the can 18. In this wa good stacking characteristics are provided with a substantial saving in space during shipment and storage. As can be seen in the drawings, only relative small additional amount of resin is required to provide the scraper teeth 20. As a result, production costs are only slightly in excess of the cost of making a conventional cap without the scraper feature.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that when thousands of such caps are to be manufactured,

accuse? even a relatively small increase in the amount of resin required in each cap will have a significant influence upon the cost of the cap.

When the cap is to be used for scraping ice or the like, the teeth are placed adjacent to the surface to be scraped and the cap is moved vigorously from side to side in a direction parallel to the axes of the teeth 20. Material from within the container 18 can then be applied to the ice to facilitate its complete removal.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown another form of the invention comprising a cap 49 including frustoconical side walls 42 and a fiat top wall 44. The cap 40 is similar in all respects to the cap of FIGS. 1 through 4, except for scraper teeth 46 which will now be described.

The scraper teeth 46 of the cap 4i) are integral with the top wall 44. Each is generally semicircular in cross section and each includes a raised end 48. and an inclined upper surface 50. Unlike the teeth of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, the teeth 50 are spaced apart circumferentially and positioned radially on the upper surface of the top portion 44, the raised ends 48 thereof being placed closest to the peripheral edge of the top portion 44.

When the cap 40 is to be used to remove ice or other material, it is placed with the end portion 44 adjacent the surface to be scraped and the teeth 46 abutting against the surface. The cap is then moved back and forth vigorously thereby scraping a plurality of grooves in the surface to which the contents of the can are to be applied in a manner similar to that described in connection with the device of FIGS. 1 through 4 but without the requirement that the scraping motion be along a line parallel to the axes of the teeth.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown a cap 60 according to another form of the invention. The cap 60 includes a body portion having frustoconical. side walls 62 and a flat top portion 64 in all respects similar to the cap 10 except for scraper teeth 66 which will now be described.

The scraper teeth 66 comprise raised letters or other characters such as numbers. Each of the letters 66 includes a raised end 68 and a downwardly inclined upper surface 70. The elevated end 68 of each of the letters is positioned nearest the peripheral edge of the upper surface 64. As in the previous embodiments, there is provided a sharp corner or intersection between the upper surface 70 and the end walls of each of the letters. As shown in FIG. 6, the letters are preferably spaced apart circumferentially and positioned on radial axes.

A number of scraper caps embodying the present invention have been manufactured and used for removing ice from surfaces to which the material within the container is to be applied. The device was found to provide a secure and an attractive cover for the container, it reliably removed ice from the surface to which the material was to be applied and proved to be rugged in construction, in that relatively little wear was found to take place on the teeth even though the cover was made of plastic. It was also found that a relatively small additional amount of resin was required to provide a scraper cap according to the present invention as compared With the cap having no scraper feature thereby minimizing production costs. The assembled container and caps are stackable without occupying any space in addition to that required by a conventional cap thereby facilitating shipment and storage.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structure ,asdisclosed, provided such modifications come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fully illustrated and described our invention, what We claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A scraper cap comprising in combination a generally cup-shaped thin walled body portion formed from a plastic resinous material, and including side walls and a substantially fiat top wall, said cap being open at the lower end thereof, a plurality of teeth integral with said body portion projecting upwardly from the upward surface of said fiat top wall, each of said teeth being raised at one end thereof and having an inclined upper surface, a substantially vertical end wall adjacent said raised end and a relatively sharp intersection between said inclined upper surface and said vertical end wall and the raised end of each of the teeth being positioned nearer the peripheral edge of said top Wall than the other end thereof.

2. A scraper cap comprising in combination a gen erally cup-shaped body portion including side walls and a top wall at the upper end thereof, the lower end of said cap being open and adapted to be secured to a container, a plurality of scraper teeth integral with said body and extending upwardly from said end wall, each of said scraper teeth having a raised end at one end thereof and having a reduced height at the opposite end, a substantially vertical end wall adjacent said raised end, said teeth being arranged in two rows, the raised ends thereof being closest to the peripheral edge of said top wall.

3. A scraper cap formed from a plastic resinous material comprising a generally cup-shaped body including side walls and a top wall at the upper end thereof, said cap being open at the lower end thereof and adapted to be secured to the end of a container, a plurality of scraper teeth integral with said top wall and extending upwardly therefrom, the scraper teeth being parallel and arranged in two parallel rows, the teeth of one row being staggered with respect to the teeth of the other row, each of said teeth including a raised end, a substantially vertical end wall adjacent said raised end and a relatively sharp intersection between the upper surface thereof and said vertical end Wall.

4. A scraper cap, comprising in combination a relatively thin Walled plastic body portion including side walls and an end wall, said cap being open at the bottom thereof and adapted to be secured to a container, a plurality of scraper teeth integral with said end Wall and extending upwardly therefrom, each of said teeth being raised at one end thereof and having an inclined upper surface, a substantially vertical end wall adjacent said raised end and a relatively sharp intersection between said end wall and said inclined upper surface and said teeth being positioned radially on said end wall and spaced apart circumferentially, the raised ends of said teeth being positioned closer to the edge of said end wall than the other ends thereof.

5. A scraper cap comprising in combination a cupshaped body portion formed from a plastic resinous material and including side walls and an end wall, the end opposite said end Wall being open and adapted to be secured to the end of the container, a plurality of raised scraper teeth integral with said end Wall and extending upwardly therefrom, said scraper teeth comprising raised letters or numbers, each of said teeth having a raised end at one end thereof, an inclined upper surface and a substantially vertical end wall adjacent said raised end and the raised end of each of said teeth being positioned closer to the peripheral edge of said end wall than the other end thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,844,290 Slade July 22, 1958 2,856,621 Racicot Oct. 21, 1958 

1. A SCRAPER CAP COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A GENERALLY CUP-SHAPED THIN WALLED BODY PORTION FORMED FROM A PLASTIC RESINOUS MATERIAL, AND INCLUDING SIDE WALLS AND A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT TOP WALL, SAID CAP BEING OPEN AT THE LOWER END THEREOF, A PLURALITY OF TEETH INTEGRAL WITH SAID BODY PORTION PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM THE UPWARD SURFACE OF SAID FLAT TOP WALL, EACH OF SAID TEETH BEING RAISED AT ONE END THEREOF AND HAVING AN INCLINED UPPER SURFACE, A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL END WALL ADJACENT SAID RAISED END AND A RELATIVELY SHARP INTERSECTION BETWEEN SAID INCLINED UPPER SURFACE AND SAID VERTICAL END WALL AND THE RAISED END OF EACH OF THE TEETH BEING POSITIONED NEARER THE PERIPHERAL EDGE OF SAID TOP WALL THAN THE OTHER END THEREOF. 